A New Girl in Town
by HunnyDu2
Summary: A new mess arises for Steph when her little sister finally comes home, and little sis finds more than one good reason to stay.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Girl In Town**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Blah, blah, blah.**

**Summary: A whole new mess arises for Steph when her little sister finally comes home, and little sis finds more than one reason to stick around. **

**Warning: This story will **_**not**_** be Morelli friendly. In fact if there's the smallest possibility that in some alternate universe you _might _be a cupcake, you probably shouldn't read this.**

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I walked out of the bonds office with three brand new files in hand. I could have done without the third one. Assault, rape, murder, grand theft auto, resisting arrest…gee, that last one was a real shocker. Why the file didn't go to Ranger I don't know, but no amount of arguing with Vinnie would change his mind. I take the file or I don't come back tomorrow. Hmm…give into my mother and get a new job or die on my current job. It was a no-brainer. I'd taken the file.

I threw the files on the passenger's seat just in time to answer my cell phone. When I heard the voice on the other end I nearly fainted. My little sister, the one nobody ever talked about. The one that ran away from home when she was 16 to be with Paco, the boyfriend my mother dreaded. She was at Trenton airport and needed a ride and a place to crash. I just knew there would be a _long_ story behind this.

20 minutes later I was at the airport greeting my sister. She was wearing black low-rise jeans and a black tank-top. CAT boots and a not so well concealed gun finished the outfit. Gun, how did she get on a plane with a gun.

"Jess, over here!" I called from my parking spot and she looked up, heading over.

"Hey sis, good ta see ya." The obvious bulge of her gun was driving me crazy, so before any other pleasantries could be exchanged I asked her about it.

"Ok, I give. How the hell did you get on a plane and through airport security with a gun?" She smiled and shook her head.

"Private charter, Stephie, how else?" I gave her my very best burg glare, and might have even growled a little.

"I told you to never call me that." She threw her bag in the backseat and we both got in. "So what brings you back to Trenton? Last time we spoke it was on the very top of your shit list."

"You know when I first left it was because of Paco. He was killed about nine months after we left, I got over it pretty fast. I was 17 and way to proud to come back home so I stayed around with the gang and lived the average gang life. The same guy who took out Paco started taking us out one by one. There was this one other girl, I don't know how she got messed up with us, but she couldn't handle it, she couldn't get out either. I made it my goal to protect her. About a year ago she was killed. I've been tracing the guy who did it everywhere trying to catch him, but he keeps eluding me. I got a tip that he was in Trenton, it was a hard decision to come here. I almost waited it out, till he moved on again, but I didn't want to take that chance."

I knew my sister, well I knew what she told me in the occasional call or letter, but that was enough. If she couldn't get this guy then he was good. I also knew there was information missing from her story, and that she had changed some stuff, because it didn't fit in with the stuff she had been telling me whenever we would talk. I didn't bother asking her about it though, she was like Ranger in that sense, monosyllabic when it suited her. I thought about my files.

"Well since you're here," my phone rang, "hold that thought," I said before flipping open my phone and answering with a "Yo."

I listened to the caller, who didn't bother with a good-bye, before turning around and heading to the office. Jess gave me a look at my surprise U-turn.

"Friend needs to see me at the office." She gave me the raised eyebrow.

"Friend?" I blushed, well we were friends, among other things, but she didn't need to know that. The rest of the ride was silent and when I parked, a shiny black Porsche was already there. I didn't see Ranger leaning against it so I assumed he was inside. I looked at Jess and told her to wait in the car. I didn't want to deal with the Lula inquisition just yet. Sure enough Ranger was sitting on the couch and Lula and Connie were fanning themselves. He nodded to the back door after a quick glance at the girls. It almost made me laugh. Once we hit the alley, I was pushed against the wall with his lips devouring my mouth. If he called me down here for this… He chuckled as he broke the kiss.

"No that wasn't why babe. I need you for a distraction tonight but…"

"You couldn't just ask on the phone?" I asked incredulously.

"But," he continued and I could hear a very definite eye-roll in his tone, "there's a couple problems. One it's in New York, two this guy is a lot more dangerous than the ones you're used to and three I'm down a team member which means while it will still be safe it won't be as secure as usual."

"Which team member?"

"Hal." Hmm, I wonder what Jess would think about helping out…

"Not a problem, I'll do it and I have someone who can take Hal's spot." He raised an eyebrow and gave me the inquiring look.

"My sister." Ranger started to laugh, yes he was actually laughing, "I don't think Val is quite RangeMan material, babe." Hah, I knew he would think that. I gave him my best duh look.

"Obviously Ranger," I gave him the eye-roll, "I meant Jess." He raised his eyebrow again.

"Who is Jess?" I gave him another duh look.

"I just told you, she's my sister." Uh-oh Ranger was annoyed.

"Explain."

"She ditched Trenton when she was 16 to be with Paco, who by the way is dead now, and this is the first time she's been back since." He gave me an assessing look.

"And she's good for this? She know how to shoot a gun?"

"She's never without one. You wanna meet her?" He gave a nod and we walked through the office, without stopping to answer questions, and straight to my CRV. I knocked on the window and Jess stepped out, giving Ranger an assessing glance, and I noticed Ranger doing the same to her. I introduced them, although I was sure Jess had guessed who he was. Ranger asked the first question.

"You accurate with that?" he asked, pointing to her gun.

"No," she answered sarcastically, "I just carry it for decoration." I think I saw him smile at that.

"We need another person for tonight's job. You in?" I asked her, figuring Ranger wouldn't care about her going as long as I vouched for her.

"Where?"

"New York." She shot me a look.

"Who?" she asked tersely, no doubt wondering if it was someone she knew. I looked to Ranger.

"Santiago Panchelo." The second he said it I noticed her eyes grow cold and her face turned to stone, it made me wonder how she knew this guy. I asked her with a look.

"He tried to kill me a few times."

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A/N: So what do you think, is it worth continuing? For those of you reading it, I promise to update Shattered Images soon, I just had this story floating around in my head, and it was distracting.


	2. Chapter 2

Jess' PoV 

He tried to kill me a few times was probably the understatement of the year. More like he was hired by someone to assassinate me after I had avoided the first three hit men. But that was about 8 years ago, I doubt he'd recognize me anymore, and if he did, well he'd just follow a different Plum out of the bar or club or wherever we would be. I looked at Ranger who had 'the look'.

"It won't interfere, it was _years_ ago. Besides the hits been dropped, so he has no interest in me anymore." His eyebrow went up.

"The hit?" I just met him, and he was already questioning my life. I don't think so.

"Yeah, the hit. You do speak English right?" Steph gave me a burg glare but Ranger just kept looking at me.

"Among other things," he said before turning to Steph. "I'll pick you two up at four." Steph looked absolutely horrified.

"But Ranger! It's one o'clock now. That only gives me three hours!" I looked at her, it took her three hours to shower and dress? Jesus. Ranger looked like he was used to it. "I need to go buy an outfit, and I need to do my hair and I…Ranger!"

"Babe, you have plenty of stuff to wear." She rolled her eyes at him.

"But I've already worn those for distractions." I was about to comment about how she could wear the same thing twice but I was pushed into the car and seconds later we were pealing out of the lot. I turned to see that Ranger didn't look surprised.

"How can he keep doing this to me? Three hours! Three hours! I told him I need 24 hours notice." My eyes snapped wide open.

"24 hours?" I asked disbelievingly.

"YES! I need to coordinate my outfit, and my hair, and my make-up, and my shoes, and my accessories and…"

"OK!" Jesus, "I get it, I still don't think it takes 24 hours but for the love of god don't ramble. You know I hate rambling." She rolled her eyes at me as we pulled into Macy's. She dragged me to the clothes, I assumed that I was supposed to help, but I didn't know what she would and wouldn't wear. I'd only heard of distractions, I'd never seen one. She pulled me over to the dressing room and 60 seconds later she stepped out. I shook my head.

"There is no way you can wear that."

"It's a distraction, I'm supposed to look like this." I shook my head again. Had she learned _nothing_ the few times she had visited me?

"Not what I meant, you want to dress like a slut knock yourself out. What I meant was there is no way to hide a weapon, _any_ weapon with that outfit." She was wearing a leather miniskirt with no pockets. The length automatically ruled out a thigh holster for a knife or a gun, and because it had no pockets she couldn't even get away with pepper spray disguised as lipstick. I could have lived with this if she was wearing a shirt long and billowy enough to hide a knife at her hip. She looked at me sheepishly.

"I don't actually take weapons." My fists clenched and I locked my jaw. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"Last time you visited me, you promised," I held up my hand when she started to speak, "You _promised,_ you'd start to carry a weapon on you at all times."

"I know, but with Rangers men there and I'm safe," Ughh, how stupid could she be.

"Ranger's men have your back. When someone has your back they're supposed to be just that _your backup, _not your only life line."

Steph's PoV 

Well I'd never thought of it like that before. I guess I have always kind of said 'hey you're responsible for my life tonight' without actually saying it. True, I am working for them, but that implies its _my_ job, which would make it _my_ responsibility. Them being there in case I _couldn't_ handle it was one thing, but them being there just so I didn't have to was another thing. I sighed.

"I know, you're right. Again. But how do you expect me to dress like a slut and conceal a weapon?" I know my voice sounded kind of whiney at the end, but really, a gun with a distraction outfit. She rolled her eyes.

"Do you have _any_ knowledge of how to use a knife?"

"I can carve a turkey." I think she laughed, it might have been a snort of disgust, but I'm pretty sure it was a laugh.

"You're going to have to carry a purse then. I can't think of anything slutty enough to catch this guy that will conceal a knife, so just keep what you've got on. Do you have a purse that will match it?"

"Yup." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Let me rephrase that. Do you have one that will match _and_ hold a gun?"

"Yes!" Jeez. Didn't anyone around here trust me? Ok, not that I have the greatest track record with weapons, but why does she care if I'm armed anyway. Humph. "Now stop with the questions, I've only got two hours and fifteen minutes before Ranger picks us up." She rolled her eyes at me. Maybe it was cause she left the burg at such a young age. Maybe that's why she could get ready in less than an hour. Maybe she was an alien, and that would explain it. Maybe I was just pathetic needing 24 hours to dress myself.

I paid for the outfit, one hundred and four dollars. Not that the distraction wouldn't more than cover it but maybe Jess was right, maybe I should start recycling distraction outfits. After all, they would be used on different scums, so that should make it ok. Right?

I dragged Jess back to the CRV and headed for the apartment. She was taking way to long to get her bags so I started pulling her toward the apartment. Did she not realize how critical it was that I only had an hour and forty-five minutes to get ready. No, she probably didn't.

Jess' PoV 

About an hour and forty three minutes later she finally came out of the bedroom wearing the outfit from the mall. I'm not going to lie, she did look good, but I could have dome the same in a half hour. When we got back to the apartment it took me 10 minutes. I threw on boots, black jeans, and a black tank top. I tied my hair into a loose knot, threw on some lip gloss and mascara, and poof I was done. Took 10 minutes tops. Extra make-up would not have taken me another hour and a half.

"Is your gun in the purse?"

"Yeees," she answered rolling her eyes. Now here was the fun part.

"Can I see it." She narrowed her eyes at me, but handed it over. I checked the gun then rolled my eyes. "Very good Steph. Here's the gun, now where are the bullets?" She looked at me sheepishly and pointed at the cookie jar. The cookie jar? Jesus. I loaded the gun and gave it back to her.

"Its not like I'm planning on shooting someone anyway." She whined at me.

"Good, if you planned it, it would be murder, that would be illegal, and therefore bad."

"That coming from you." She said sarcastically, and she had a point. I didn't have the cleanest past in the world, but damn, if people would stop trying to kill me, I might stop trying to kill them.

"Take these too." I said, handing over a stun-gun and pepper spray. She looked at them, just as I heard the locks tumble open. I pulled out my gun and aimed at the door only to find Ranger standing there. Humph. He should knock like a normal person. I holstered my gun and turned back to Steph.

"Uh, thanks," she said "But I already have a phone, and I don't need you lipstick." I rolled my eyes, we had talked about this on the way home from the store.

"The phone is a stun gun and the lipstick is pepper spray. Even if someone checks and takes the gun they wont think to much about the phone and they wont even give the lipstick a second glance."

"She's right babe," Ranger said, speaking for the first time since so rudely breaking in, "But what's with all the weapons? Your not usually this…armed."

"Tell that to little miss loves her guns. She seems to think I rely to much on you, my back-up, and that I should be able to protect myself."

"Babe." From the tone of his voice I was going to assume he agreed with me and just didn't want to say it. "Come on. I've got the rest of the team waiting in the parking lot so they can meet Jess."

We all trooped down the stairs and into the parking lot to see three more men dressed in black. Huh, guess my outfit was appropriate. They were all huge and muscled and hot, but that wasn't what made my jaw drop, what did that was one of the men standing there, it had to be a look-a-like because it couldn't be him.

"Jess?" _oh my god_, it was him.

"Lester."


	3. Chapter 3

Steph's PoV

_Disclaimer: __I don't own the characters, as much as I would like to keep Ranger, I won't. He, along with all other characters, are property of JKR_

_A/N: Well, my plan was to finish up SI before I updated this one again, but since I had half of Ch.3 done already, I decided to finish it up and post it now. Depending on how active my muse wants to be, I may work this one into the cycle so I'm updating all three. Please review!_

**Steph's PoV**

"Lester." I watched as my sister greeted Lester and put a smile on her face. I recognized that smile, I used it often. It was the 'do I kill you or kiss you?' smile.

"I take it you two have met?" Ranger's slightly sarcastic voice questioned. "We'll discuss it on the way there, we don't have time to waste. You two will ride with Steph and I." It was a command, and everyone recognized it as one so Bobby, Tank, and Hal piled into one SUV leaving the other one for Ranger, Lester, Jess and me. Ranger pulled out of the lot and glanced at Jess in the mirror.

"This," he said, using one hand to gesture between Jess and Lester, "isn't going to affect the job, right?"

"Why would it?" Uh-Oh, people do not answer batman's questions with questions, it just does not happen. But surprisingly Ranger didn't get mad and threaten her with a 3rd world country.

"Most women who are… acquainted, with Lester aren't usually very happy to see him again." Oh. My. God. Is he saying Lester slept with my sister?

**Jess's PoV**

"Dat's what he gets fo bein wittle mistah pway boy," I said smiling, drawing out my voice so it sounded like I was talking to a baby. The smile was more the memory of how we met than anything else. We had met at a club one night, and I probably would have gone home with him, but I was called away on business. The next morning I find him left for dead in a back alley, but he managed to act panicked when I mentiond the hospital, so I took him to my apartment and fixed him as best I could. Evidentially, he went home with the wrong girl, because big brother found out and wasn't happy. He stayed at my place until he was doing better, and yes ok, I slept with him. But he was a good looking guy with a great personality; we parted on very friendly terms, think break-up sex. "Besides, it's good to see him again, so don't worry I won't let any irate thoughts about him distract from the job." He glanced at me in the mirror.

"So how did you two meet then?" I felt Lester stiffen next to me, guess Ranger would either be pissed he hadn't known, or Lester would never hear the end of it if Ranger knew. When in doubt, lie.

"We met at a club one night, I probably would have gone home with him but I got called away on business." I could practically feel the tension off of Lester. _Calm down, secrets safe with me._ "The next day he found me pretty messed up in an alley, he cleaned and stitched me up and stuff so I didn't have to go to the hospital." I saw Lester glance at me, and I think Ranger did too, but he didn't say anything, just nodded and started explaining the job to Steph. Lester turned to me.

"Why did you…"

"You looked like you didn't want them to know, I get it. You would have never heard the end of it, right?" He laughed and nodded.

"That about sums it up. So how have you been? Any lucky guy?" _Real subtle Santos, real subtle._

"I've been good. Lucky guys, right now? Yeah actually." He was looking at me strangely, "He's about 6'2'', with chocolaty eyes, and is trying to look down my shirt without being noticed." I said the last with a trace of humor in my voice. His head jerked a little, and he smiled at me. It was that same wolf smile that had drawn me across the barroom 3 years ago. Before I could say anything else he leaned across the backseat and kissed me. It was definitely not slow or gentle and I started to lean into him.

"Gah!" I broke away from Lester to see Steph giving me a look. In the mirror I could see Ranger giving me a raised eyebrow.

"Jess?" He said in a tone that let me knew he expected an answer. I concidered not giving him one, but I settled for rolling my eyes.

"What? I never said I didn't sleep with him, I just said it was good to see him." Steph gave me the big sister look.

"You slept with _him_?" She glanced at Lester, "not that there's anything wrong with you but you…You did use protection right? That thing has been to many places to count, you didn't give her an STD did you?" I bit my lip to keep from laughing and looked at Lester, he didn't look quite as amused as me.I started to say that I was a big girl and I could take care of myself but Lester beat me to it.

"I'll have you know that I am _clean_. I have not one STD, Beautiful, not one."

**Steph's PoV**

"I can't believe you slept with my sister, Lester Santos!" On the outside I was acting the big sister, on the inside I was being the curious friend. Her story just didn't add up. Jess hated showing weakness, and she avoided anyone who had seen her in a weak moment. If Lester had found her injured in an alley

-- Which Jess would translate as being unable to take care of herself, thus weak – there's no way she be in the back seat trying to suck out his tonsils. She'd most likely have taken one look at him and given some bullshit reason why se couldn't do the job after all.

"Oh he didn't just _sleep_ with me. We did _all kinds_ of things. You probably haven't even _heard_ of some of them." She smiled as she said it, clearly in the mood to torment me. I could see Lester fighting a smirk as he opened his mouth to add to it.

"And we definitely used protection. _All kinds_ of protection." Jess gave him a warning look, clearly not thrilled with his continuation, but he carried on. "But I think my favorite was the cuffs. Those are used for protection, aren't they beautiful?" he asked winking at me. I put my hands over my face, hoping to wake up.

"Not that kind of protection, not when my sister's involved." Jess tried to answer me, but Ranger, wearing the full wolf grin, cut her off.

"But they're ok when your sister's not involved?" I sighed and glanced at the 'Welcome to New York' sign. Sinking down into my seat I groaned, this was going to be a long night. I caught Jess' smirk in the mirror.

"Aren't you glad to have me home, sis?"


End file.
